Refrigerated sealer for wrapping machines



Oct. 1.0, 1939. E. F. MERTls- REFRIGERATED SEALER FOR WRPPINGlMOHIIUEZSy Filed 'July zo; 1935 2 sheets-sheet 27 ATTORNEY Patented oct.1o, 1939 Elmer Mertis, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to American Machine &Foundry Company, a corporation of New Jersey I Application July 20,,1935, Serial No. 32,361

s claims.

'I'his invention relates to improvements in heat seal wrapping machines,more particularly to a refrigerated sealer for the same. The main ob,-ject of the invention is to chill the heated seals of. the packages by arefrigerated sealer comprising cooling vessels having direct contacttherewith, to the end that the refrigerated belts heretofore used inwrapping machines oi this type may be eliminated. For this purpose thecooling vessels may be arranged to' directly engage the heat sealed endfolds and bottom seam of the packages advanced theretofrom the heatsealing means by any'suitable mechanism vsuch as traveling .endlessbelts. With this and other objects not Aspecifically mentioned in view,the

inventionconsists in certain constructions and combinations hereinafterfully described and then specifically set forth in the claims hereuntoappended.

In the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification andin which-.like characters of reference indicate the .same or like parts:l

Fig. 1 is a partial side view of a wrapping u machine wherein thepackages are advancedfrom the heat sealing means by a delivery conveyorto the improved refrigerated sealer;

Fig. 2 is a schematic view showing the connections of the refrigeratlngunit t the bottom and side expansion chambers of the refrigerated seaer;

Fig. 3 is an end view of the refrigerated sealer on an enlarged scaleshowing the adjustable mounting thereof;

Fig. 4 is a front elevation'of an expansion chamber constructionsuitable for the pur of the present invention; and

Fig. 5 is a cross-section of the same.

In carrying the, invention into effect there is provided a device forheat sealingv Packages. a

set of cooling vessels arranged to directly engage I and chill theheated seals of a package, means for maintaining said cooling 'vesselsat a substantially constant temperature, and mechanism for receiving theheat sealed packages from said heat sealing means and advancing them tosaid cooling vessels,- whereby the hot seals of the` packages will bechilled. In. the best constructions contemplated said means includes athermostatically controlled refrigerating unit, and saidcooling vessels,including a pairof adjustable side expansion chambers and a stationarybottom expansion. chamber, the mechanism for advancing the packagesbeing adjustable simultaneously with said side chambers and acting tomove the packages therebetween sidewise on to said bottom chamber. Thesevarious means and parts may be widely varied in construction, for theparticular construction selected to illustrate the invention is but oneof many possible concrete. embodiments of the same. The invention,therefore, is not to be restricted to the specific arrangement shown anddescribed.

Referring to the drawings, a shaft I0 suitably drivenrfrom the maindrive of the wrapping machine drives, by means of bevel gearing (notshown). vertical shafts carrying the pulleys II which in turn drive theconveyor belts I2. These belts I2 also'run'over idler pulleys I3 whichare supported in brackets I4. The housings I5, which support theVpulleys I I, are slidably mounted on the shaft Ill and a cross-bar I6.

The tie-rods I1 are mounted at one end in bearings I8 of the machineframe and each carry a series of bearing blocks I9, 20, 2I and 22 which2- support the bar IB and the spindles 23, 24 and 25, respectively. Oneach end of the spindles 23 and 24 are loosely mounted a set of arms 26andv 21 whichare fastened to bars 2K8. At one end the bars' 28 arefastened-to the housing I5. A set of hooked brackets 29 adjustablymounted on. the mid-section of the bars 28 overhang the belts I2 andcarry tension bars 30 extending along the inner faces of the inner runsof the belts I2. The` bars 30 thus act to reinforce the inner runs rcithe conveyor belts I2 and hold the freshly heatlsealed end folds' ofthe'package closed whilethey are advanced to the refrigerated sealerwhich will now be described. Referring to Fig. 3 of the drawings, theends of the spindle 25 are oppo-a sitely threaded into the angle-bars 3|which are fastenedto the plates 32, the free ends of the bars Ilengaging studs carried by. collars fastened on the rods-I1 whereby thebars 3l are maintained inan upright position.v` The plates 32 areprovided with lugs-3l which carry the side cooling vessels of therefrigerated sealer which may be expansion chambers 34 and 34a as shown.'I'he chambers 3l and a are equipped with'e'xpansion-coils 35. 5

The shaft I0, Fig. 1, carries a pulley 36 drivingy an endless belt 31.running over an idler pulley 3l, and the pulley 38 is mounted on a shaft39 fiournaled in the adjustable blocks 40 carried by brackets 4I xed onthe rods I1. In 50 the space between the pulleys 36 and 38 is supporteda table l2 attached to members 43 carrried bythe tie-rods I1. The bottomcooling vessel of the refrigerated sealerjinay be an expansion-chamber Msupported on. the .bars 40 f and equipped with an expansion coil 45.However, it will be understood that the bottom and side cooling vesselsmay be tanks lled with brine in which the expansion coils are submerged.

Referring to Fig. 2 wherein is shown a refrigerating unit connected tothe expansion coils of the tank 34, 34a and 44, the bottom coils of thecondenser 46 and the receiver 41 thereof contain the condensedrefrigerant. In theupper coils of the condenser the refrigerant isconned in a gaseous state under sufficient pressure to prevent thecondensed refrigerant present in the lower coils and the receiver fromboiling or vaporizing. The pressure thus exerted thereon forces thevrefrigerant up through the flexible tube 48 leading to the expansioncoil 35 of the side chamber 34. A flexible tube 44' conducts therefrigerant from the outlet of the expansion coil in the chamber 34 tothe'inlet of the expansion coil 35 in the chamber 34a, and anotherflexible tube 48" permits the refrigerant to flow from the expansioncoil in the chamber 34a into the expansion coil 45 of the bottom chamber44. The tube 48 at a point close to where it enters the tank 34 isequipped with an expansion valve 49 which regulates the flow. of liquidand permits only a small stream of the refrigerant to flow into theexpansion coil of the chamber 34, wherein it partially vaporizes and isfurther vaporized in the expansion coil of the chamber 34a and thencompletely vaporized in the expansion coil of -the bottom chamber 44. I

The vaporization of the refrigerant in this manner absorbs heat from thechambers 34', 34a and 44. A dual pressure control 50 of well knownconstruction mounted in a pipe connected across the inlet and outlet ofthe compressor 52 controls the cutout circuit of a motor (not shown) tocause the motor, by means of a belt 5l, to drive the compressor 52 andtherebypump the vaporized refrigerant out of the expansion coils of thecooling vessels and compress and return it through'a conduit 53 to thecondenser wherein` it is condensed. Since the construction and opereation of such dual pressure controls, to cause the compressor tomaintain a constant supply of liquid refrigerant in the receiver, iswell known,

further description thereof is deemed unnecessary. A blast of air sentover the condenser coils by a fan driven from the motor shaft hastensthis condensation. The expansion valve 4! is thermostatically controlledby a thermostat (not shown) mounted on the return line 53 and connectedto the expansion valve to govern theflow of liquid refrigerant into theexpansion coil of the chamber 34 in a well known manner to keep.therewith to propel the packages into the rel i'rigerated sealer. 'Ihepackages, on entering the refrigerated sealer, leave the conveyor beltsI2 i and are carried by the belt 31 past the side expansion chambers 34and 34a thereof, whereby A the -heat-sealed end folds of the package arechilled. 'Ihe package is thus advanced on to the stationary bottomexpansion chamber 44, where it remains until the succeeding packagedelivered by the conveyor belt 31 pushes it `on to a take-off table 55.The bottom seam of the package is chilled and set while it rests on thebottom chamber 44. By turning the handles 56 or 51, which are mounted onthe ends of spindles 23 and 25, respectively, the side conveyor belts I2and the side expansion chambers 34 and 34a may be simultaneouslyadjusted to accommodate diiferent lengths of packages.

The invention may be applied to mapping machines of various types otherthan the bread wrapping machine chosen to illustrate one embodiment ofthe invention. Accordingly, the refrigerated sealer may be arranged tochill the heated seals of packages having various types r of foldsdifferent from that shown herein.

In Figs. 4 and 5 is shown an expansion chamber, the construction'ofwhich is especially suitable for the bottom and side expansion chambersof the present invention. As illustrated therein, the expansion chamberincludes a plate 50 adapted to engage the heated package seals, and an.expansion coil 6I which is secured to the plate 60 by solder 62 andembedded in grooves of the base 63 which may be mounted on one of thebars 32 or on the bottom bars 40, the expansion coil having an inlet B4and an outlet 65 to which the -refrigerating unit may be `connected asshown in Fig. 3. Due to the soldered connection between the plate 60 andthe expansion coil 6I the vaporization of the refrigerant in the latterwill chill the plate more eifectively. The base 63 may be formed of corkor other suitable insulating material to prevent the flow of heat fromthe machine into the expansion coils.

What is claimed is:

1. In a heat seal wrapping machine, the combination with a pair ofendless traveling side belts having opposed vertical runs spaced toengage the heat sealed packages by their ends and advance them sidewise,of a pair of side cooling 'vessels arranged to receive the heat sealed-packages therebetween from said side belts and directly engage andchill the heated end folds of the packages, means forsimultaneously'adjusting said side belts and side cooling vessels toaccommodate packages of various lengths, and mechanism for driving saidbelts in any adjusted position thereof.

2. In a heat seal wrapping machine, the combination with a pair ofendless traveling side belts having opposed vertical runs spaced toengage the heat sealed packages by their ends and advance them sidewise,of a pair of side cooling vessels arranged to receive the heat sealedpackages therebetween from said side belts and directly engage and chillthe heated end folds of the packages, means for simultaneously adjustingsaid side belts and side cooling vessels to accommodate packages ofvarious length, a thermostatically controlled refrigerating unit formaintaining said side cooling vessels at a uniform temperature, andmechanism for driving said belts in any adjusted position thereof.

3. In a heat seal wrapping machine, the combination with a pair ofendless traveling side belts having opposed vertical runs spaced toengage the heat sealed packages by their ends and advance them sidewise,of a pair of side cooling vessels arranged t0 receive the heat sealedpackages therebetween from said side belts and directly engage and chillthe heated end folds of.

the packages, means for simultaneously adjusting said side belts andside cooling vessels to accommodate packages of various lengths, astationary bottom cooling vessel arranged-to engage and chill the bottomseam of the packages between said side cooling vessels, a travelingbottom belt havingan upper run arranged to support the packages betweensaid side belts and acting to advance the packages sidewise'between saidside cooling vessels on to said bottom cooling vessel. and mechanism fordriving said side belts in any adjusted position thereof.

4. In a wrapping machine, the combination with a set of spaced/ sidefcooling vessels arranged to admit heat sealed packages therebetween anddirectly engage and congeal the heated seals on the ends thereof, abottom cooling vessel arranged to engage and congeal the heat seals onthe bottom of the packages, a thermostatically controlled refrigeratingdevice for maintaining said vessels at a uniform temperature, a set ofbelts coacting to grip and advance heat sealed vpackages between saidside cooling vessels and then on to said bottom cooling vessel, meansfor relatively adjusting said belts to accommodate packages of varioussizes, and mechanism for driving said bets in any adjusted, positionthereof.

5. In a wrapping machine, the combination with a cooling vessel arrangedto engage and congeal the heated seals on the bottom of heat sealedackages, of a set of belts coacting to grip and a vance heat sealedpackages on to said vessel, a thermostatically controlled refrigeratingdevice for maintaining said vessel at a uniform temper-4 ature, means'for relatively adjusting said belts to accommodate packages of varioussizes, and mechanism for driving said belts in any adjusted vpositiornthereof.

mamar'.

